Showing 1 - 10 of 13
The art of choosing the right words
Roger Crutchley, Published on 09/03/2025
» The word "diplomacy" has been making frequent appearances on newspaper pages in recent days and unless you have been in hibernation there is no need to explain why.
An unforgettable taste of romance
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 13/02/2022
» In Thailand the silly season is never far away and things usually get even more daft around Valentine's Day, which happens to be tomorrow. However, the festival has taken bit of a hit in recent years courtesy of Covid. With kissing, canoodling, caressing, cuddling, snogging and hugging generally frowned upon by authorities the occasion has inevitably lost a lot of its romance.
When great debate went into extra time
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 05/09/2021
» No-confidence debates like that taking place during the past week have become something of a tradition in Thailand, but it is rare for them to be successful. Perhaps the biggest excitement came some years ago when in the middle of such a debate one MP called a leading a politician a "toad", which didn't go down too well. But at least it livened up proceedings.
The girl who was all 'eyelashes and legs'
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 25/07/2021
» I was rightly admonished by a reader for not mentioning model Twiggy in last week's column concerning the "Swinging Sixties" in London. After all Twiggy was dubbed "The Face of 66" in a huge spread in the Daily Express.
Don't worry, be happy … like the Finns
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/03/2021
» For the second year running Thailand was ranked 54th in the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report which covers 149 countries. It seems that although we have not quite descended into the depths of Les Miserables, Thai people are not exactly dancing in the streets with joy either. However, considering the Covid situation, one suspects there's not one country in the world that is particularly happy.
Long in the tooth and fearing the pain
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 21/02/2021
» Ever since the horrors of the school dentist who had an uncanny knack of hitting the nerve, I have always regarded dental visits with some trepidation. The very word "extraction" is enough to spark spasms of terror. So last week, as I was sitting in a dentist's chair in Bangkok about to have a misbehaving tooth extracted, I was not exactly a vision of joy.
A sad reminder of an infamous battle
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 28/06/2020
» Like most expats I keep an eye open for any news from my hometown, which happens to be Reading in Berkshire. I surfaced last Sunday morning to find the lead item on the news was the awful murder of three Reading people relaxing in Forbury Gardens, a small park in the centre of town. When something horrible like that happens in a place you once regularly frequented, no matter how long ago, it prompts a most uncomfortable, empty feeling. My condolences to those who lost loved ones.
For some, it's all getting to be a yawn
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 26/04/2020
» One of the most common complaints arising from the current self-isolation is fighting off boredom. This is especially the case for kids, even though they have smartphones and other electronic gadgets with which to amuse themselves. I don't envy parents of young children.
We need to look after creepy-crawlies
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 17/02/2019
» There was a disturbing report this week that the world is running out of insects, primarily due to pesticide poisoning. Having just read an article in which a scientist warned "if insects were to disappear, the world would fall apart", I suspect this is not good news. However, the world already seems to be falling apart without any help from absent insects. Admittedly the declining insect population is difficult to appreciate in Thailand where it is hard to experience a day without an encounter with some kind of bug. In my small garden there are plenty of crawling things creeping about, ready to sneakily bite me at the first opportunity.
Daffodils, bluebells and dodgy perfumes
News, Roger Crutchley, Published on 12/08/2018
» Since it is Mother's Day in Thailand it seems an appropriate time to acknowledge the role played by mums, mae or, for North American friends, "moms". We must also not forget the madres, mamas and maters around the globe. For most of us, our mum is the best in the world, which is the way it should be. Mums are after all, quite useful. As someone once observed: "God couldn't be everywhere so he created mothers."